Shpadoinkle!

Cannibal! The Musical, also known as Alferd Packer: The Musical, is based on the true story of a group of gold miners who got stranded in the snowy Rocky mountains and had to resort to cannibalism. An absolutely perfect plot for a musical, at least in the eyes of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Trey and Matt met in college and instantly bonded over fart jokes and love of Monty Python. The two then went on to make a myriad of projects together, now spanning three decades of cultural phenomena, perhaps making them the most prolific creative duo ever. Having done films such as Orgazmo, BASEketball, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America, they also gave birth to a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, and made an entire entertainment empire out of South Park. But it all started with a tiny little student project, called Cannibal! The Musical.

The film initially began as a 3-minute goof trailer made for a film class at the University of Colorado. After the trailer (linked below) drew local attention, Parker and Stone managed to raise around $125,000 and began shooting the full-length film among a group of friends. The film was shot in harrowing conditions during free weekends with fellow students carrying out whatever part was needed at the time and resulted in several injuries and most of the crew failing their classes. But the end result was totally worth it, as it has now received a massive cult following.

Cannibal’s intelligently witty sarcastic humor, over-the-top Pythonesque violence, as well as the earliest display of Trey Parker’s musical genius make Cannibal! The Musical a perfectly delicious actually tongue-in-cheek snack for midnight audiences looking for something truly fun... and shpadoinkle!

Sander Maran